Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily A, member 1 (TRPA1) is a nonselective cation channel that belongs to a superfamily of the TRP ion channel. Like other family members, the TRPA1 channel is formed by tetramerization of 4 subunits each including six transmembrane domains, a pore loop, and intracellular N- and C-termini. TRPA1 is expressed in sensory neurons, and co-localized with pain markers such as TRPV1, calcitonin gene-related peptide and bradykinin receptor (Nagata, K. et al., Journal of Neuroscience 2005, 25, 4052-4061; Story, G. M. et al., Cell 2003, 112, 819-829; Corey, D. P. et al., Nature 2004, 432, 723-730; Bautista, D. M. et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Science U.S.A. 2005, 102, 12248-12252; Jaquemar, D. et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry 1999, 274, 7325-7333).
In pain models, the knockdown of TRPA1 inhibited cold hyperalgesia induced by inflammation and nerve injury (Obata, K. et al., Journal of Clinical Investigation 2005, 115, 2393-2401; Jordt, S. E. et al., Nature 2004, 427, 260-265; Katsura, H. et al., Exploratory Neurology 2006, 200, 112-123). In addition, the TRPA1 gene knockdown caused impaired sensory functions and deficits in bradykinin-evoked pain hypersensitivity (Kwan, K. Y. et al. Neuron 2006, 50, 277-289; Bautista, D. M. et al. Cell 2006, 124, 1269-1282).
The above experimental results suggest that TRPA1 plays important roles in sensory functions and pain states.
Meanwhile, the recent experimental results have showed that TRPA1 agonists directly interact with TRPA1. It has been reported that AITC and cinnamaldehyde covalently modify cysteine and lysine residues in the N terminus of TRPA1 and activate this channel (Hinman, A., Chuang, H. H., Bautista, D. M., and Julius, D. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science U.S.A. 2006, 103, 19564-19568; Macpherson, L. J., Dubin, A. E., Evans, M. J., Marr, F., Schultz, P. G., Cravatt, B. F., and Patapoutian, A., Nature 2007, 445, 541-545).
Meanwhile, among Korean aromatic plants which cause pungent chemosensation, such as spicy, tingle, and tangy tastes, sprouts of Kalopanax pictus (English name: Carstor Araila) (Kalopanax pictus sprout, hereinafter, referred to as KPs) corresponds to a naturally growing plant that has been widely used in food, such as wild greens and spices. Kalopanax pictus is a plant that belongs to the Acanthopanax family, and the bark of Kalopanax pictus is referred to as Kalopanax, which has been used for neuralgia, arthritis, and diabetes. The main constituent of Kalopanax is saponin, and its phenol-based materials have been found to be syringin, coniferyl aldehyde glucoside, liriodendrin, and the like. It has been known that the similar constituents are also present in the leaves. Saponin is mainly hederagenin glycoside, and has a kalopanaxsaponin-based material composed of monodesmoside and bisdesmoside. Meanwhile, in Korea, sprouts of Kalopanax pictus is commonly called Kalopanax pictus shoots, which is used for wild greens. The leaves of Kalopanax pictus are not edible since the leaves become rough and has changed flavor as the season goes on, but sprouts have been widely used for foods.
The Compositae plants, which are the most evolved plant taxonomic group in dicotyledoneae, have 23,000 species which are the most widely distributed over the world. Among them, 17 species grow naturally in Korea. Medicinal plants of the family Compositae, such as wormwood, wild aster, Chrysanthemum zawadskii, safflower, and atractylodes, have been considered to be sacred herbs for external youth, and have been widely used as food, medicine, brewing, and for ornamental purposes since ancient times. With respect to taxonomic characteristics of the family Compositae, leaves grow in opposite, alternate, or in rare cases, verticillate form, and may have a single-leaf or compound-leaf type, but do not have stipules.
Studies on the functionality of wormwood, which is the member of the Compositae family, have been the most reported. Wormwood is not only used as an antihemorrhagic in Oriental medicine, but has also been reported to have efficacy in digestion, deworming, odor removal, gastroenteropathy, constipation, neuralgia, gynecological disorders, and the like. Also, studies on the search for and analysis of functional materials of Youngia sonchifolia, Lactuca raddeana, Xanthium strumarium, and Cirsium japonicum have been conducted. The search for and product development with respect to functional bioactivity of the Compositae plants have mainly been restricted to flowers. However, the different parts of the plant have different functional bioactivities, and the whole plant is equally used when being used as raw vegetables or wild greens for food, and thus these facts need to be considered.
As such, the Compositae plants have excellent pharmacological effects, and thus have been used as edible and medicinal plants in the East and West and have been actively studied in association with their functional bioactivities including antioxidant activity, immunity enhancing activity, and the like. However, there are few studies about “taste”, which is the most important factor of determining its value as food.
The Labiatae family plants grow mainly in the Mediterranean and the West Asia, and have been known to include 200 genera and about 3,200 species distributed all over the world. In Korea, 25 genera and 3,200 species of herbs, such as Mosla punctulata, mint, Stachys riederi, perfumed oil, Agastache rugosa, and Leonurus sibiricus are distributed, and the whole plant is covered with pili that emit special favors. The Labiatae plants contain beautiful flowers and flavors, and thus many species are cultivated for ornamental purposes, and are also used as the raw materials of favorite foods and spices. Essential oils abundant in the family Labiatae have pharmacological effects such as immunity enhancement, anti-cancer activity, and anti-aging activity, and antiviral and antioxidant activities, and thus, studies about the use of the essential oils have been actively conducted in the industries of medicine, food, and cosmetics.
Among these Labiatae family plants, motherwort refers to the whole plant of annual or biennial motherwort growing in a house or in the wild. The meaning of motherwort is wort that is beneficial to women, and the western motherwort L. cardiac (mother wort) is also said to have the same meaning as the Oriental motherwort. Motherwort improves the flow of blood and removes the stasis of blood, and thus is well known as an effective medicine in the gynecology for treating disease symptoms, such as irregular menstruation, menoschesis, postpartum abdominal pain, dysuria, edema, Changongjongdok, itch, polydipsia, and postpartum hemorrhage. The main ingredient of the motherwort is alkaloid leonurine, and it also contains stachydrine, leonurine, lutine as flavonoids, and the like. The motherwort has been reported to contain, as other organic acids, benzoic acid, lauric acid, essential fatty acid linoleic acid, and oleic acid, and also contains arginine, 4-guanidino-1-butanoic acid, stachyose, vitamin A, and the like.
The Agastache rugosa used herein, which is a perennial herb of the family Labiatae, forms a colony after attachment, and is able to grow even on barren fields and mountains. Geographically, the Agastache rugosa grows in Northeast Asia, and it is an indigenous food resource that grows in the wild or is also cultivated in the southern area of Korea. Traditionally, the leaves of Agastache rugosa, called bandanna, have been used for a long time as spices for loach soup, various stews, or pancakes, and the flowers of Agastache rugosa have also been utilized as a source of nectar. In addition, in Oriental medicine, the above-ground part of Agastache rugosa is called Gwakhyang, and has been used as an important medicinal ingredient in water intoxication, Geoakgi, Jigwaklan, Yopung, Chibiwitoyeog, and the like. In addition, the underground part of Agastache rugosa is called Gwakhyangeun, and has been used for the treatment of vomiting, dysentery, pricking pain, cholera morbus, and the like. An essential oil ingredient obtained by distilling Gwakhyang is called Gwakhyangro, and has been used for the treatment of heart Burn, nausea, stagnation, and the like, due to summer heat. As described above, the Agastache rugosa is an agricultural resource that will be widely utilized in the future since the whole plant has been already used for food or medicine. As described above, the leaves, flowers, roots, stems, and fruits of these Labiatae plants have unique flavors and tastes, and thus function as an herb (aromatic plant) that is used mainly as spices, antioxidant agents, and the like, and have been used as food and medicine, and for ornamental purposes.
Allium ochotense Prokh., which is a perennial plant of the genus Allium of the Liliaceae family, is distributed in the mountains of Asia and America and in the Himalayas, and naturally grows mainly in the Ulleungdo Island, Jiri Mountain, Odae Mountain, Seorak Mountain, and the like in Korea. Allium ochotense Prokh. has a strong garlic smell and very similar pharmacognostical uses to garlic. Although Allium ochotense Prokh. belongs to the genus Allium like garlic, its shape is completely different from that of garlic. In Korea, bulbs sprout in fallen leaves in March and April after the winter, and young leaves and stems are taken and used for food in May. They are highly palatable due to their unique garlic favor and taste and excellent nutritional characteristics. The leaves and stems are produced once per year in a natural state, and the whole plant including bulbs, flowers, and the like as well as the leaves is used. According to results of studies on ingredients of Allium ochotense Prokh., the leaves contain 2-3% of hydrocarbon and ascorbic acid, and the bulbs have been reported to contain an S-alkenyl- or S-alkyl-L-cystein type compound in sulfur-containing compounds that have a platelet aggregation inhibitory effect. In addition, it has been reported that spirotanol glycoside type gitogenin 3-O-lycotetroside, flavonoid glycoside type astragalin and kaempferol 3,4″-di-O-β-D-glucoside, flavonol type kercetin and kaempferol, and ferulic acid as a phenylpropanoide-based compound was isolated from an extract of the whole plant. In the past, Allium ochotense Prokh. was used as an emergency crop on Ulleungdo Island and thus called myeonguinamul or myeonginamul, and has been well known as a traditional stamina food, like garlic. In addition, Allium ochotense Prokh. has been used for hypertension, arteriosclerosis, gastritis, constipation, abdominal pain, forgetfulness, insomnia, and the like, and the demand therefor has recently increased considerably with the spread of the social well-being mood. However, Allium ochotense Prokh. has not been well researched as compared with garlic, onions, and leeks, which are representative plants of the genus Allium to which Allium ochotense Prokh. belongs, and the existing research on Allium ochotense Prokh. is mainly about vegetation distribution and cultivation of Allium ochotense Prokh. produced on Ulleungdo Island which is the main production area.
Allium macrostemon Bunge similar to Allium ochotense Prokh. is also a perennial bulbous plant that belongs to the genus Allium of the Liliaceae family, and widely distributed in Northeast Asia regions including Japan, China, Mongolia, as well as Korea, and grows naturally in hills around the country of Korea. Allium macrostemon Bunge has been widely used for a long time since its unique flavor and taste matches the Korean's preference, and is still used as an appetizing food in spring. According to records of the Heritage of the Three States, the use of Allium macrostemon Bunge as food is estimated to have been started in that period. It has been reported that Allium macrostemon Bunge has high utility as an emergency food and thus is called ‘Vida’. In addition, Allium macrostemon Bunge has been used as a medicinal plant, and the bulbs of Allium macrostemon Bunge have been used for a strong stomach, colon health, and burn treatment. As for Allium macrostemon Bunge, the entire living body is edible, and the whole plant has been known to be abundant in inorganic ingredients, such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron, amino acids, sugars, and vitamins. Allium macrostemon Bunge has very high values in food and nutritional aspects since its leaf contains large amounts of inorganic ingredients and its bulb and root contain many kinds of amino acids and sugars. As described above, the demands of Allium ochotense Prokh. and Allium macrostemon Bunge are increasing as the food consumption structure is gentrified and verified due to the improvement of dietary standards. However, Allium ochotense Prokh. and Allium macrostemon Bunge have not been well researched out of plant encyclopedias and taxonomic studies, and research on Allium ochotense Prokh. and Allium macrostemon Bunge has been recently limited to plant culturing, ingredient analysis, and functional characteristics.
The Amaranthaceae family, which belongs to the Order Caryophyllaes, includes about 160 genera and 2,400 species. According to the APG II classification system, the species traditionally classified in the family Chenopodiaceae are also classified in the family Amaranthaceae. As for Amaranthus mangostanus, which is an annual plant of the family Amaranthaceae native to India, the stem has no hair, is straightly erected, and is about 1 m in length, and the leaves are alternately arranged in an egg-shaped diamond manner and have long leafstems. From summer through fall, small white-green flowers bloom on ends of branches or axils in an Isaac inflorescence manner, and these blooms put together, and the fruit belongs to dehiscent fruit and has an oval shape. Amaranthus mangostanus is also planted for ornamental purposes, and its young leaves are edible.
The Labiatae, Liliaceae, and Amaranthaceae family plants have excellent pharmacological effects, and thus have been used as edible and medicinal plants in the East and the West, and have been actively studied in association with their functional bioactivities including antioxidant activity, immunity enhancing activity, and the like. However, the studies about “taste” are not non-existent.
The Brassicaceae family plants include 350 genera and 3,000 species, and are mainly distributed in the temperature zone and the warm temperature zones of the Northern Hemisphere, and particularly, there are many kinds of Brassicaceae plants in the West Asia to the Mediterranean coastal areas. The Brassicaceae family vegetables, which are heavily cultivated in Korea, are known to be cabbage, Chinese cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, turnip, radish, rapeseed, horseradish, and the like. The distinctively pungent tastes and flavors of these vegetable are mainly due to the sulfur-containing compound isothiocyanates, and have relevance to some sulfides. The Brassicaceae family vegetables and some chemical compounds contained in the Brassicaceae family have been known to exhibit chemoprotection effects against carcinogenesis, and particularly, to induce activities of stage I and stage II enzymes acting as detoxifying enzymes.
The Wasabia Matsum. is one of the smallest genus groups in the family Brassicaceae, and 20,000 species are distributed in only the East Asia over the world. The genus Wasabia Matsum. is differentiated from plants of the other genera due to its characteristics since flowers are white, pieces of the silique are not entangled while dehiscing, the flowers have bracts, seeds are large, the number of seeds is small, and seed leaves are not leaned. Korea has one species of Wasabia Matsum. Wasabi is recognized as the same species as that distributed in Japan and thus Wasabia japonica (Miq.) Matsum. is used for the binomial name thereof, and is also called wasabi. Wasabia japonica (Miq.) Matsum. is highly used as a seasoning sauce for fish and meat dishes due to its distinctive spicy taste. Wasabia japonica (Miq.) Matsum. has been recently used as a seasoning, for various foods and beverages including Kimchi, pickled foods, fried foods, fried foods, drinks, and ice cream, and also air fresheners, food preservatives, and the like, in Japan which is one of the main consumption nations of Wasabia Matsum. The reason is that Wasabia japonica (Miq.) Matsum. has been increasingly used since the isocyanate contained in Wasabia Matsum. is researched and reported to have sterilizing, insecticidal, platelet aggregation inhibiting, anti-cancer, anti-aging, and antioxidant functions as well as an appetite promoting function. Recently, there are increasing cases in which leaves of Wasabia japonica (Miq.) Matsum. are used as wrapping vegetables or eaten in pickled form.
Mustard greens or leaf mustard, having similar characteristics as Wasabi, are leaves of Brassica juncea, brown mustard, or indian mustard, and are one kind of leaf vegetables. Leaf mustard is salted and fermented to be edible as Kimchi, and seeds thereof have been used as a spice. Leaf mustard is originally from China, and, at present, widely cultured in Korea, Japan, and the like. Leaf mustard has been cultivated for a long time in the Dolsan district of Yeocheon-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea, and has a distinctive taste predominated by the unique local climates, soil conditions, and the like, so that a lot of leaf mustard is supplied to large cities or other provinces for Kimchi making. The distinctively pungent tastes of the leaf mustard is also mainly due to a volatile sulfur-containing ingredient, isocyanate, which has been reported to be produced by action of thioglucoside glucohydrolase on glucocynolates such as sinigrin.
The Umbelliferae (or Apiaceae) family plants include about 2500-3000 species that naturally grow over the world, and have been reported to include 68 species growing in Korea. The family Umbelliferae plants are differently described in each book, and in some cases, the terms associated therewith do not match and the systemic research thereon is insufficient. In addition, it has been well known that the family Umbelliferae plants are difficult to classify due to their similar features. Most of the family Umbelliferae plants have distinctive flavors, and thus, in many cases, are eaten as a spice, wild greens, or the like. Of these, water parsley (Oenanthe javanica (Blume) DC.) is a perennial herb that belongs to the family Umbelliferae, grows naturally in wetlands, distributed in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, and the like, and cultured in the farms. Water parsley is a representative alkali food that contains vitamins, potassium, calcium, and iron, as well as flavonoid compounds, in terms of food and nutritional point. Water parsley, which is much eaten, has been used in Kimchi, cooked greens, and small rolls of boiled parsley. In addition, water parsley is a plant that has high usability as a material for functional foods or spices due to its distinctive flavor and pharmacological actions. Similar to this, Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm. is one of the plants eaten as pickled vegetables or wild greens due to its distinctive flavor. Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm. is a perennial herb that belongs to the family Umbelliferae. As for external characteristics of Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm., the height is about 50-100 cm, white flowers bloom in June and July, one stem has three leaves, and egg-shaped fruits are produced after the flowers fall. In folk remedies, Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm. has been known to improve digestion, thereby stimulating appetite and helping make better maternal milk, and also have a cholesterol lowering function. Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm. has been eaten by collecting soft leaf stems from mid-April to early May and then dipping them in sauce or seasoning them with condiments. Pleurospermum camtschaticum Hoffm. has been reported to have more carbohydrates, ash, phosphorus, and particularly, vitamin A as compared with celery which has a similar taste. Ligusticum tachiroei (Franch. & Sav.) M.Hiroe & Constance growing in gaps between wet rocks deep in the mountains has its distinctive flavor characteristics, is mainly used as a medicinal plant that treats erectile dysfunction, epilepsy, toothaches, and gynecopathy, rather than as raw vegetables or wild greens, and is distributed in Jeju Island, Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Pyeonganbuk-do, Hamgyeongnam-do, and Hamgyeongbuk-do provinces.
As described above, research about wild vegetables of the families Brassicaceae and Umbelliferae, which have been widely used due to their distinctive flavor characteristics, are mainly restricted to their taxonomic characteristics or active ingredients. However, there is little research about their “taste”, which is one of the most important factors for determining values thereof as food.
Research about “taste”, which is one of the most important factors for determining a food value includes a wide variety of academic fields covering areas from molecular-level basic research to consumer and industrial applications. When a taste material is received in a receptor present in taste cells in taste buds, the generated signal is transmitted to central nerves through a taste nerve transmission passage. The central nerves process information of the signal and then perceive the signal. In other words, the taste material is recognized through a series of kinetic mechanisms from the peripheral nerves to the central nerves. Recently, substantial molecules of the taste receptor have been found with the development of molecular biology and related fields, and some G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channel receptors have been cloned. Recently, cell-level research using the cloned receptors has become possible Through the researching technique using the cloned receptors, in vitro screening or sensory analysis techniques of new taste-activating substances have experienced breakthrough evolutions, and the most advanced, new methods, which have been used for the development of new drugs, can be applied to researches about food taste. Currently, food research about taste ingredients in a receptor level is nearly non-existent in Korea and is only in the beginning phase globally.
Throughout the entire specification, many papers and patent documents are referenced and their citations are represented. The disclosures of cited papers and patent documents are entirely incorporated by reference into the present specification, and the level of the technical field within which the present invention falls and details of the present invention are explained more clearly.